James Vowles vows no more team orders confusion at Williams

Williams team principal James Vowles says that issues relating to team orders have been resolved. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED May 14, 2025, 10:39 AM

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LONDON – Williams have made changes to avoid repeating the situation in Miami where Carlos Sainz mistakenly thought Alex Albon had ignored orders not to pass, team boss James Vowles said on May 13.

Sainz complained after the May 4 Formula One race that he had been made to "feel stupid" after being informed that Albon would hold position behind only for the Thai to then overtake.

“That is not how I go racing. I don’t care. I’ve lost a lot of confidence here, on everything,” the Spaniard, who joined from Ferrari in January, said over the team radio.

But Vowles told reporters at the team factory that the matter had been resolved in about two minutes once he sat down with the drivers after the race.

Albon ended up fifth with Sainz ninth in Williams’ best result in six races so far this season.

The team are fifth in the standings going into this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

Vowles said that Miami was the first time Williams had to do serious team orders since he took charge, and it was down to a cooling issue on Albon’s car that meant he needed to overtake or fall back by more than a second to get air into the radiator.